White Tears
by Jouchaku
Summary: AU. Japan in the 1920’s. Michiru is a famous geisha famed for her beauty. Haruka is a woman disguising herself as a man in order to have a job in the male dominated society – and who despises the subjection geisha symbolize.
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER ONE**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE : **Obviously, I don't own the rights to Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon...I'm just an obsessed fan!

Everything was doused in the inky blackness of night, save for one warm glow coming from a lantern. In the courtyard of her okiya, Kaioh Michiru knelt in the flickering light, diligently practicing her shamisen. Her talented fingers plucked the strings with an ease and grace that made it easy to understand why her music was so appreciated by teahouse visitors. Many geisha, Michiru knew, had a habit of dipping their fingers into cold water before coming outside to practice their shamisen, hoping that the icy chill and pain they felt as a result would help them acquire the same poise that she held. However, Michiru refused to do this, as she was vain about one thing and one thing only – her soft, smooth hands and gorgeously long fingers. She would do nothing that might cause them to become blistered or rough.

As she closed her eyes and continued plucking the strings of her shamisen, Michiru found herself letting her mind wander. There had been a very strange guest at one of her favorite teahouses, Tadanori Teahouse, and recalling the odd visitor, she let herself sink into her recollections. Undaunted by the fact that her fingers now seemed to play on their own, the shamisen continued to emit beautiful sounds.

There had been quite a rowdy party at the teahouse earlier in the night, full of sake, drinking games, and laughter. Michiru tried to limit her sake drinking to only a few cups, as she detested the feeling of drunkenness, and by the time the strange guest had entered, she was on her last cup. She had just tipped the bowl containing the last drops of alcohol to her lips when Ten'ou Haruka came into the room, following behind two men who were already well known at the Tadanori Teahouse.

Despite herself, Michiru's breath caught in her throat upon seeing Haruka, and she set down the empty bowl with a tiny cough. One of the men accompanying Haruka, Masu Toshi, immediately came over and sat down next to Michiru with a raucous greeting. Michiru greeted him with a demure smile, knowing that she was one of Toshi's favorite geisha.

"Here you are, you beautiful thing," he laughed in greeting, as Michiru poured him some sake from the tall bottle on the table. "I brought someone along that I'd like you to meet. A good friend of mine. You'll like him, I think!"

"Not as much as you, I should hope," Michiru replied flirtatiously, with another smile. This was another task of the geisha – remain witty at all times, and make the men think that you absolutely adore them. Michiru knew her objective well. You don't become one of Gion's most famous geisha by remaining tight-lipped and boring, after all.

"You flatter me too much," Toshi claimed with another riotous burst of laughter, followed by draining his sake in one long gulp. Silently, Michiru agreed with him. Masu Toshi was by no means an attractive man.

His friend, however, was extraordinary handsome. Michiru couldn't help but lift her head quickly to gaze into Ten'ou Haruka's eyes, captured by their brilliance. Suddenly Haruka met her gaze, and Michiru dropped her head immediately. In that brief moment when their eyes met, however, Haruka had stared at her with cold disdain. Michiru was surprised, but calmly poured some sake for the strange man.

"He's one of my best workers," Toshi continued on, and Michiru stared at him blankly before realizing that he was referring to Haruka. Toshi owned and operated one of the largest manufacturing companies in Japan, and he was a man who expected respect and adoration. Michiru gave him both in the form of another light giggle and pouring him yet another drink.

After a few more minutes of idle chatter and excessive drinking, Toshi slammed his glass down on the table and turned to face the lovely geisha sitting beside him. "Michiru-san, you must show Ten'ou-san your latest dance. It's exquisite." He slurred the last word, proving that he was already drunk. Michiru dropped her gaze down to the table in a pretty –and perfectly acted – gesture of modesty.

"What an excellent idea, Toshi-san!" she replied, sounding pleased. In truth, she felt disappointed that he hadn't requested that she play for them on her shamisen. That was the one thing as a geisha that she truly enjoyed doing, although she was talented at many other tasks, as well. And for some unexplainable reason, Michiru wanted to please Ten'ou Haruka with one of her songs…the man had barely spoken a single word since coming in behind Toshi.

But if Toshi wished for her to dance, then dance she must. She picked up her fan, which had been lying next to her on the floor, and stood up gracefully, moving to the center of the room. A serious expression fixed onto her face, and she snapped open the fan in time to the music another geisha had began to play for her. For a few moments, the party watched her dance in silence, and then her dance – and concentration - was interrupted by a sudden cough from Haruka. Michiru couldn't help but drop her eyes to gaze once more upon the stranger, and was stunned to find that Haruka had turned away from her. She felt blood rush to her cheeks in the form of a blush, and was grateful that her thick white make-up hid her embarrassment well.

"What's the matter, Ten'ou-san?" Toshi blurted out loudly, clapping Haruka on the back. "Too much to take for you, eh? Isn't she gorgeous?" He motioned for one of the other geisha at the party to pour him yet another glass of sake, even though he was by now far past drunk.

"I find this whole concept ridiculous, actually." It was the first sentence Haruka had spoken all night, and Michiru couldn't help but fumble slightly in one of her steps. She snapped the fan shut, feeling even more embarrassed. This was the first time she could ever recall being rejected by a man, and the feeling pricked at her like a dozen knives.

"Why not?" Toshi asked, seeming shocked that someone wasn't having as much fun as he. Haruka drained her glass of sake in a long, effortless gulp, before setting her bowl back down on the table. Michiru knelt down with a bow, before returning to the table.

"I don't like geisha."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

AUTHOR'S NOTE : I just want to say – wow, and thank you, to everyone who reviewed my fic! I'm really glad that everyone seems to like it so far. Also, as a side note – my story isn't going to be like the story in Memoirs of a Geisha – it's different from it, although I must credit the movie for giving me my first interested glance into the world of a geisha.

Also, I'm going to include a short list of vocabulary with this chapter, as I use several terms that some might not be familiar with.

**okiya** – basically, a geisha house

**maiko** – an apprentice geisha

**o-chaya** – teahouse

DISCLAIMER : I don't own Sailor Moon. If I did…oh, the possibilities!

* * *

After Haruka's proclaimed disdain of geisha, an incredibly awkward silence filled the air. Michiru carefully kept her head tilted down, staring at her hands, which were neatly folded into her lap. She refused to let Haruka see how much the comment had upset her.

Luckily, most everyone in the gathering by now was either a bit tipsy, or full-out drunk, and so the incident was forgotten soon enough and once more laughter and chatting pervaded the room. Michiru took this as an opportunity to lift her head, and was met by Haruka's gaze straight-on. A slight gasp caught in the back of her throat as she found herself staring into an extremely intense set of blue eyes. Haruka's gaze was un-sympathetic, and somehow cold. Michiru felt intrigued. This stranger seemed to have captivated her…

* * *

Letting her recollections fade away into the night like an exhale of air, Michiru's slender fingers abruptly stopped strumming the strings of the shamisen. A tiny yawn escaped from her lips, and she knew that soon she should head off to bed. Tomorrow she was incredibly booked up; already she had been asked to attend three different parties. Blowing out the candle that sat by her side, Michiru headed back to her room, her slippered feet gently padding on the wooden floor.

* * *

The next morning dawned, and it proved to be a rainy start to the day. Michiru sat up in bed and silently listened to the steady drum of raindrops on the roof above her head.

"Are you up, Kaioh-san?" she heard a childish voice question shyly. Michiru turned her head to see the newest addition to their okiya, a young girl of around nine, kneeling by the door.

"Yes, Asiko-chan." The girl had recently been sold to the okiya by her impoverished parents, and as custom required, Asiko first had to act as a maid around the household before her debut as a maiko. Michiru remembered well how frightened and unsure she had been those first few months living in a strange new place, and she gave Asiko a warm smile of greeting before sitting down in front of her mirror to comb through her cerulean-colored locks.

After giving the curls a few quick brushes, Michiru stared at her reflection, letting her mind wander. Two eyes gazed steadily back at her, as brilliantly colored as chunks of turquoise. Instantly she was reminded of Ten'ou Haruka's intense gaze from the night before, and a slight flush came to her cheeks. What in the world was the matter with her? While she appeared flirtatious to the men who frequented her favorite teahouses, Michiru had always in reality kept a distant outlook towards the guests.

But Ten'ou Haruka's powerful eyes had shaken her, as if a stone had suddenly been dropped into a tranquil pool of water. Why couldn't she get that gaze out of her mind? Haruka had been considerably rude to her, after all. But the reminder of that only sent a pang into her nerves.

"Kaioh-san? Kaioh-san…are you all right?"

Asiko's unsure and timid voice shook Michiru out of her dazed state. "Breakfast is ready, Kaioh-san," the young maid informed her, and Michiru nodded with a smile.

"I'll be right down," she responded, getting up to dress herself in an everyday, plain kimono. Asiko bowed in reply and then hurriedly scampered back downstairs.

* * *

Later that night, Michiru climbed down from the rickshaw that had transported her to the Yuyiro Teahouse. She glanced up at the beautiful building with an expression of pleasure on her face; this was one of her favorite o-chaya to visit.

As she went inside, she could already hear the laughter and loud voices coming from the room in which the gathering was being held. Before sliding open the door, Michiru took a quick moment to make sure that her kimono was still delicately folded, and quickly ran a hand over her wig, carefully re-adjusting it. Most geisha wore wigs of glossy black hair folded into intricate shapes, and Michiru was no exception. A stray cerulean curl suddenly escaped, and she tucked it back underneath the wig before sliding open the door and bowing before the guests.

Haruka glanced up as Michiru entered the room, recalling her from the other night. The geisha moved with a smooth elegance, a tiny smile on her red lips as she greeted the other guests. Haruka quietly observed her, remembering the harsh words uttered last night.

"She's back!" Toshi suddenly exclaimed, clasping a tight arm around Haruka's shoulders. A grimace escaped her lips, and she quickly shrugged off his arm. She couldn't stand the man, but it was necessary to put up with his nonsense…after all, opportunities for a woman in this day and age were slim and none. Haruka stared into her still-full cup of sake, watching the liquid ripple slightly, and then brought her eyes up to meet Michiru's. The geisha stared back at her solemnly, no trace of embarrassment on her calm features, her face exquisitely beautiful.

"I'll be right back," Haruka muttered, setting her sake back down on the table and then standing up. "I'm just going to run to the bathroom." As was the custom, a maiko stood up as well to accompany her to the restroom. Haruka let out another grimace, inwardly hating the compliance geisha showed to men. "I can go by myself," she snapped, sliding open the door and heading down the hallway. Rebuked, the uncertain maiko flushed a delicate shade of pink and sat back down at the table.

"Ten'ou-san seems fairly abrupt," Michiru said in a lilting, teasing voice as she poured Toshi another cup of sake. "Has he always been this way?" Her tone was playful, but her curiosity was strangely keen. She wanted to know more about the strange guest.

"For the most part, yes," Toshi replied with a raucous laugh. "But he's a fine worker for my company, hard working, and always willing to give it his all. Doesn't talk much though, never has."

* * *

Haruka closed the door to the bathroom firmly, sliding the lock into place. She hated these parties. Too much drinking. She hated the sickly-sweet taste of sake. And the geisha, these entertainers, always willing to partake in a naughty joke, to dance, to play their shamisen, to pour more wine. All for the men. Their obedience sickened her. She had worked so hard to make it where she was, and to be respected for her diligence, instead of a finely-powdered white face and a talent in the arts.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror, taking in her fierce blue eyes, and thinking with disgust on Toshi. Luckily, he had yet to realize her true gender. Haruka disguised it well, and always had, with her shortly-cropped blond hair and lean, athletic frame.

Women were worth next to nothing in Japan. Her parents were dead. And her little sister, Hotaru…she had Hotaru to think of…who would already be asleep at home by now, tucked into her bed, calmly dreaming. It was this disguise that had allowed Hotaru to be able to sleep in a bed at night, instead of on the streets. It was Toshi and his manufacturing company.

She had always been fine with her disguise, and fine with her anti-social nature. She could get by on her own, as long as she kept herself and Hotaru well-supported. She went through life with a steely gaze and a zealous determination…nothing had shaken her off.

Except for this geisha she had met, this Kaioh Michiru, with her blood-red lips and poised beauty. Haruka had been struck by this the instant she had met her, and so she had instantly reverted to a tried-and-true tactic – to be as bluntly rude as possible. But it hadn't worked.

Her mind was still filled with thoughts of this alluring geisha.

* * *

Okies, that's it for Chapter Two...I hope that everyone likes this newest update! Sorry that it took so long - I'm not going to lie, for a while there, I had hit a huge wall of writer's block. But I seem to be it over it, so hopefully the next chapter isn't too far off! 


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